Miller v. California
413 U.S. 15 · Decided June 21, 1973 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Miller v. California was decided on June 21, 1973 by a vote of 5–4. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Obscenity, state” in the First Amendment area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 413 U.S. 15 · 93 S. Ct. 2607 · 37 L. Ed. 2d 419 · 1973 U.S. LEXIS 149
- Docket number
- 70-73
- Decided
- June 21, 1973
- Argued
- January 18, 1972
- Reargued
- November 7, 1972
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Warren E. Burger
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Obscenity, state
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Dissent | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority |
Full case caption
Miller v. California
SCDB identifiers: case 1972-158, docket 1972-158-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Obscenity, state”
- Paris Adult Theatre I v. Slaton
- Kaplan v. California
- Heller v. New York
- Roaden v. Kentucky
- Alexander v. Virginia
- California v. Larue
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- United States v. 12 200-ft. Reels of Super 8mm. Film (Paladini
- United States v. Orito
- Pittsburgh Press Co. v. Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations
- United States Civil Service Commission v. National Association of Letter Carriers
- Broadrick v. Oklahoma
- Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. v. Democratic National Committee
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- California v. Larue
- Papish v. Board of Curators of the University of Missouri
- Lemon v. Kurtzman
- Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. v. Democratic National Committee
- Paris Adult Theatre I v. Slaton
- Kaplan v. California
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error